Pro-am ushers in John Hay Open

BAGUIO — Sixty pros launch their respective bids in the distinguished company of a horde of VIPs including former President Fidel V. Ramos, five ambassadors and the city mayor as the new Philippine Golf Tour resumes with the Camp John Hay Open starting today.

The unique weekend start for a pro event presented by College Assurance Plan has drawn FVR, ambassadors Werner Baumann (Switzerland), John Buckley (Australia), Alan Collins (United Kingdom), Jackie Foo (Singapore) and Graeme Waters (New Zealand) and US Embassy deputy chief Michael Malinowski into the 36-hole pro-am appetizer.

Baguio Mayor Mauricio Domogan, Benguet Congressman Bernardo Vergara, BCDA chair Rogelio Singson are also competing in the pro-am where Fil-Estate bossman Bob Sobrepeña guns for a second title with a new partner as erstwhile teammate Cassius Casas is in the Malaysian Open.

The 120-player starting roster will answer the 8:30 a.m. shotgun tee-off and for the regular and senior pros, it will signal the start of the race for the major slices of the P700,000 cash bonanza put up by CJH Dev. Co., the Fil-Estate Group of Companies, MRT and CAP.

Rey Pagunsan and Roger Antonio, the big winners during the MRT-Southwoods Open which pushed the tour into motion two weeks ago, will be going for back-to-back romps, this time at a course they’ve hardly played almost four years since it undertook a total facelift.

When Camp John Hay hosted the Philippine Open in 1997, it served as the launching pad to the career of then-rookie Pagunsan. The former national team standout will be going back to the up-and-down layout as the proud owner of his first pro title.

Pagunsan, oiling his engines for a much-awaited stint in the cash-rich Japanese Tour, tamed the Masters course of Southwoods with a 14-under aggregate to prevail by two strokes over Ruben Sasutil and Canadian Rick Gibson.

But unlike at Southwoods which became a ball-bashers party, the John Hay shootout is expected to focus more on the aspect of putting — something Pagunsan really needs to work on — and iron play mainly due to the shortness of the course.

There are at least three holes reachable with the driver but those short but accurate are often more rewarded than the bold and daring at John Hay, the country’s answer to Augusta National with its alluring blossoms especially at this time of the year.

"I believe it will go down to a putting contest with a little emphasis on the approach shots since the greens are tricky," said tournament director Buddy Resurreccion.

Antonio will be leading the seniors cast and will be challenged anew by Mario Siodina who lost by three strokes the last time up.

The John Hay Open kicks off a big week in the summer capital which will be capped by the city’s celebrations of its renowned Flower Festival.